New Horizons Safety and Training Services (NHST) is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) providing quality assured and nationally recognised training and qualifications that service the Mining and Civil Con-struction Industries. NHST has been a training provider operating in Rock-hampton since it was established in 2005 servicing Central Queensland as well as the wider regions deliv-ering accredited courses and qualifications that meet the Australian National Training Package Standards. Professional services include Machinery Operator training, GI Safety Inductions into Mining and Heavy Industries and other mining and civil construction relat-ed courses. The Operating Training Centre (OTC) a purposely built mine site training facility replicates the daily production activities of typical mine site machinery. The OTC is highly innovative and a major development in the Cen-tral Queensland region where participants can gain on-site training and attain qualifications that meet industry standards in the use of machinery for the civil con-struction and mining industry.

Another major development for NHST has been the involvement in the Work Readiness/ Preparation Pro-grams which have been a collaborative effort involving the Salvation Army Employment Plus, The Mining In-dustry Skills Centre (MI Skills Centre), Mining Compa-nies, Contractors and the Queensland State Govern-ment and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The initial program was designed by the MI Skills Cen-tre as a pilot program which served as an accelerated pathway to employment. NHST was selected as the training provider of choice for the pilot program of 2008. The program involved Indigenous participants from the Woorabinda Community where many of the partici-pants went on to gain positions within the mining indus-try. A subsequent program in 2009 was established at Emerald and Blackwater that also resulted in partici-pants obtaining employment as machinery operators. In 2010 NHST developed its own work preparation pro-gram called the Resources Industry Preparation Pro-gram (RIPP) and was awarded funding to train Indige-nous participants in machinery operations for both civil construction and mining purposes.

Included in the RIPP were courses such as the GI Safety Induction (surface mining), Civil Construction White Card, Occupational Health and Safety machinery qualifications and RII (black coal) qualifications for the ex-cavator, skidsteer and other core and elec-tive units of competencies.

Participants who successfully completed the three week training program obtained na-tionally recognised statement of attainments and training at no cost to the student as the Resources Industry Preparation Program has been funded through the Department of Education and Training.

New Horizons Safety and Training Services in partnership with Milbi Incorporated a local Indigenous community organisation have successfully completed and delivered the Resources Industry Preparation Program with outstanding outcomes and employment achievements from the participants.

The Resources Industry Preparation Pro-gram (RIPP) is a New Horizons Safety and Training Services initiative that has been aimed at up-skilling and preparing Indige-nous members from the local and surround-ing communities interested in entering the Civil Construction or Mining Industry.

The RIPP program consisted of carefully se-lected skills sets from the Construction In-dustry and the Resources, Infrastructure and Industry Training Packages which allowed the students once successfully completed the opportunity to enter the workforce in ei-ther industry.

When the Resources Industry Preparation Pilot Program (RIPP) first commenced, it proved to be challenging to predict what the outcomes would be. Now, that is all said and done there is only one word that sums it up better than success and that is, “Triumphant”. We opened an expression of interest when the first RIPP started as we needed to find 41 Indigenous participants to complete the program. Only 4 weeks into the program, the expression of interest had to close due to an overwhelming number of people from across the state wanting to complete the program.

After screening and selecting eligible can-didates, the RIPP program was delivered in 8 groups to a total of 47 students in 3 week blocks over a period of 7 months where the students completed both class-room training and practical machine train-ing at NHST Operator Training Centre. Although some students needed more motivation than others, over the duration of the program we got the opportunity to deliver training to such a great group of people from all walks of life. In every group we watch the student strive for suc-cess and to accomplish the training tasks set out for them.

When the general manager of Cheetham Salt Limited found out where his new em-ployee gained their machinery tickets, skills and experience he came in to the office and asked if more graduates from the RIPP could be sent to him. He needed to fill jobs and found that the RIPP partici-pants ticked all the boxes. Cheetham Salt Limited have trained em-ployees on site previously but found the employees only stay for a short period as they gained mining jobs. The general man-ager told us he valued giving new opera-tors the chance to gain experience locally before they progress into a career in the mining industry.